


When The Machines Take Over

by monkiainen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Asexual Steve, F/M, Gen, Platonic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Steve is terrified because he doesn't want to have sex ever, it all works out in the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 05:52:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8878468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkiainen/pseuds/monkiainen
Summary: In a world where some people have the names of their soulmates written on their forearms, Steve is terrified of ever meeting his. There is something really wrong about him, he thinks.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MusicalLuna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalLuna/gifts).



> My recipient asked for "Steve and Tony, platonic soulmates, Tony/Pepper" and this is what happened.

Having a soulmate was not as easy as all the fairytales made it sound like. It was nothing like that. Sometimes your soulmate was already dead before you got to meet them. Sometimes you were born so much apart that the other party was already on their deathbed when the time came. And other times, well, let's just say that it wasn't always as easy as everyone was taught to.

Take Steve, for instance. When the name "Anthony Edward Stark" appeared to his forearm on his 16th birthday Steve was terrified. He couldn't…. no, it was not possible. He could never be anyone's soulmate, not when even the thought of sex made him want to vomit. No. Steve could never give his soulmate what he wanted. Maybe it was a blessing that his soulmate was also a man, so he wouldn't have to worry about the possible children. There was a slight chance that maybe, maybe, they could skip the whole sex part and just live happily ever after. Steve kept clinging on to the little sliver of hope.

Then he met Dr. Erskine and everything changed. Moments before Steve was about be transformed to a Super Soldier, he overheard Erskine talking to someone he called Mr. Stark. No. No. Not now. Oh god. Was that his soulmate? No. Steve was not prepared for this.

It turned out that the Mr. Stark in question was called Howard and not Anthony – apparently he didn't even have any relatives with that first name, so Steve had avoided his fate for now. Howard even showed Steve his own forearm with the name "Maria Collins Carbonell" written on it. Howard was a nice guy, but given his enthusiasm when it came to sex Steve was only glad that Howard wasn't his soulmate after all. It would have been a disaster.

It was the wartime, so everyone tried to make the best of it while they could. Any day could be their last, so one-night stands were not as frown up as they normally would. The Howling Commandoes tried to lure Steve to the brothels with them, but Steve always declined, telling them that his Mama had raised him to be a good Catholic boy and he was going to wait until he met his soulmate thank you very much. Nobody questioned Steve's morale, even if they thought he was crazy not to take advantage of the current situation. Little did they know how badly Steve dreaded the moment he would actually meet his soulmate and was probably required to have sex with him. Steve hoped that day wouldn't come soon.

Of course there were people who wanted to get friendly with famous Captain America, whether he wanted it or not. Like that blond female soldier who tried to hit on Steve when he was waiting to be briefed by Howard. Man that had been uncomfortable.

Sometimes Steve wished his forearm would read "Margaret Carter" instead, because Peggy was someone he could imagine spending the rest of his life with. She was beautiful and smart and ferocious – someone would be lucky to have Peggy as their soulmate. When he was lying in his bunk late at night, unable to sleep, Steve wondered why the serum had cured all his ailments but the most crippling one. Sex was supposed to natural and everyone was supposed to enjoy it, so why wasn't he? There was clearly something very wrong about him.

Then Bucky died and Red Skull happened and Steve had to sink a plane to the ocean and it was so cold, so cold, colder than anything that he had ever experienced before. And then Steve woke up and he was at the hospital except that it was all wrong and he ran outside and it was even more _wrong_ than the hospital. Nick Fury was there, telling Steve he had been asleep in the ice for nearly 70 years. 

Oh god. 

But still, there was a little glimmer of hope, even if all his loved ones were dead by now. Perhaps it also meant that his soulmate was gone, too? And Steve wouldn't need to worry about meeting him anymore?

Oh, but it would have been so easy if it had been the case. Of course Steve had to work with Howard's son, who also happened to be his soulmate. Shit. Well, at least Tony hated him for some reason even before they met, so it was quite unlikely Steve would ever have to have sex with Tony. Still, now that Steve had met his soulmate he was constantly living with the feeling of _incompleteness_ , like he was missing a piece of himself.

In a way he was, because soulmates were supposed to complete each other. But how could Steve, a guy terrified of even the thought of sex, ever complete Tony, a notorious playboy? This was some sick joke of destiny, and Steve didn't think it was funny at all.

Things… sort of escalated after that. It wasn't until after Tony had almost died that Steve realised they really, really needed to talk. About things. About sex and how Steve didn't want to do it. And about Pepper, who was Tony's other half in every other way. Steve did not want to have that conversation, not at all, but he was a grown man and he had to take responsibility over things that affected not only him but the person who supposedly was the missing piece of his soul. Besides he loved Tony, in not-erotic way, but still. Steve had no idea if Tony would return his feelings, but Steve really had nothing to lose. There was no Peggy anymore to pine after, nor Bucky to confide in – it was Steve's duty and only his.

The conversation that took place between Steve, Tony and Pepper did open up some possibilities. Tony admitted that the reason he hadn't been fond of Steve at first was Howard's obsession with him – Howard had been convinced that despite all the odds Steve must be alive because his name had appeared in Tony's forearm in his teens. It had caused much heartache and bad feelings between father and son, and Steve felt guilty for it. Because of Steve his friend had all but abandoned his son when it should have been the opposite.

Somehow, still, they made it work despite the rocky start. There was love between them all, and Steve was no longer terrified of having a soulmate. Truth was, meeting Tony and Pepper turned out to be the best thing in his life. He even had a term for what he was, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with him even if he didn't want to have sex. Nobody tried to fix him, or to push him to do things he didn't want to – and Steve had never been more grateful to have Tony in his life. Yes, he was a pain in the ass, but Steve still loved him with all his heart. Life was good, better, but not perfect. Steve was content to have it this way, because Tony loved him back.


End file.
